2 Timothy 2:26
New International Version
and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

New Living Translation
Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

English Standard Version
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Berean Standard Bible
Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

Berean Literal Bible
and they might come to their senses out of the snare of the devil, having been captured by him for his will.

King James Bible
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

New King James Version
and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

New American Standard Bible
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

NASB 1995
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

NASB 1977
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Legacy Standard Bible
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Amplified Bible
and that they may come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Christian Standard Bible
Then they may come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they may come to their senses and escape the Devil’s trap, having been captured by him to do his will.

American Standard Version
and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will.

Contemporary English Version
They have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape.

English Revised Version
and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by the Lord's servant unto the will of God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then they might come back to their senses and God will free them from the devil's snare so that they can do his will.

Good News Translation
And then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the Devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will.

International Standard Version
so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will.

Majority Standard Bible
Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

NET Bible
and they will come to their senses and escape the devil's trap where they are held captive to do his will.

New Heart English Bible
and they may recover themselves out of the devil's snare, having been taken captive by him to his will.

Webster's Bible Translation
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Weymouth New Testament
and recover sober-mindedness and freedom from the Devil's snare, though they are now entrapped by him to do his will.

World English Bible
and they may recover themselves out of the devil’s snare, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and they may awake out of the Devil’s snare, having been caught by him at his will.

Berean Literal Bible
and they might come to their senses out of the snare of the devil, having been captured by him for his will.

Young's Literal Translation
and they may awake out of the devil's snare, having been caught by him at his will.

Smith's Literal Translation
That they may return to a state of sobriety from the snare of the devil, being taken alive by him at his will.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they may recover themselves from the snares of the devil, by whom they are held captive at his will.

Catholic Public Domain Version
and then they may recover from the snares of the devil, by whom they are held captive at his will.

New American Bible
and that they may return to their senses out of the devil’s snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will.

New Revised Standard Version
and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And come to themselves, and be saved from the trap of Satan, by whom they have been trapped to his will.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they will remember their souls and break loose from the trap of Satan by whom they were captured for his pleasure.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
and that they may awake to sobriety out of the snare of the devil, after having been taken captive by him according to his will.

Godbey New Testament
and they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him (the Lord's servant) according to his will.

Haweis New Testament
and that they may escape out of the snare of the devil, who have been captured by him for his will.

Mace New Testament
and so they may rouze out of the snare of the devil, who leads them captive at his discretion.

Weymouth New Testament
and recover sober-mindedness and freedom from the Devil's snare, though they are now entrapped by him to do his will.

Worrell New Testament
and they may return to soberness out of the snare of the Devil, having been taken captive by him in accordance with his will.

Worsley New Testament
and they may awake out of the snare of the devil, who have been captivated by him to his will.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Lord's Approved Workman
25He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. 26Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

Cross References
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. / Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. / For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

1 John 5:19
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.

Colossians 1:13
He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

1 John 3:8
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Acts 26:18
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

Hebrews 2:14-15
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, / and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” / The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, / but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’” ...

Isaiah 14:12-15
How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. / You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. / I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” ...

Ezekiel 28:12-17
“Son of man, take up a lament for the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. / You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, prepared on the day of your creation. / You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for I had ordained you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. ...


Treasury of Scripture

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

recover.

Luke 15:17
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

1 Corinthians 15:34
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

out.

Psalm 124:7
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.

Isaiah 8:15
And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

Isaiah 28:13
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

who are.

Isaiah 42:6,7
I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; …

Isaiah 49:25,26
But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children…

Isaiah 53:12
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

taken captive.

Job 1:12
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Job 2:6
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

Luke 22:31,32
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: …

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2 Timothy 2
1. Timothy is exhorted again to constancy and perseverance.
17. Of Hymenaeus and Philetus.
19. The foundation of the Lord is sure.
22. He is taught whereof to beware, and what to follow after.














and they will come to their senses
The phrase "come to their senses" in the Greek is "ananepho," which means to return to a state of soberness or clarity. This implies a spiritual awakening or realization, akin to the prodigal son in Luke 15:17 who "came to his senses" and returned to his father. Historically, this reflects the transformative power of repentance and the Holy Spirit's work in illuminating truth to those who have been deceived. It is a call to spiritual awareness and discernment, urging believers to recognize the truth of the Gospel and reject false teachings.

and escape the snare of the devil
The "snare of the devil" refers to the traps or deceptions laid by Satan to entangle believers in sin or false doctrine. The Greek word "pagis" for "snare" suggests a trap or a noose, indicating the cunning and subtle nature of these spiritual dangers. In a historical context, this reflects the early church's struggles against heresies and the need for vigilance. Scripturally, it echoes Ephesians 6:11, where believers are urged to put on the full armor of God to stand against the devil's schemes. It is a reminder of the spiritual warfare that Christians face and the need for constant reliance on God's truth and strength.

who has taken them captive
The phrase "taken them captive" comes from the Greek "zogreo," meaning to capture alive. This term is used to describe the devil's ability to ensnare individuals, leading them away from God's truth. Historically, it reflects the pervasive influence of false teachings and the cultural pressures faced by early Christians. Theologically, it underscores the reality of spiritual bondage and the need for deliverance through Christ. It is a call to recognize the spiritual captivity that sin and deception bring and the liberation found in Jesus.

to do his will
The phrase "to do his will" highlights the ultimate aim of the devil's captivity, which is to align individuals with his purposes rather than God's. The Greek word "thelema" for "will" indicates a deliberate intention or desire. This reflects the spiritual battle for allegiance and the importance of aligning one's life with God's will as revealed in Scripture. Historically, it underscores the early church's challenge to remain faithful amidst competing ideologies. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of discernment and obedience to God's Word, encouraging believers to seek His will above all else.

(26) That they may recover themselves.--The literal meaning of the Greek word rendered "that they may recover themselves" is. that they may awake from drunkenness. The English version, however, gives the meaning with great exactness. Those taken in the snare of the devil are represented as not only captives in the snare of the devil, but as also helplessly wrapped in slumber.

The deadly peril of all "captives of sin" is here well painted. These unhappy ones, before they can free themselves from the toils of the evil one, must awake from the deep slumber in which they are wrapped: in other words, must first be conscious of their awful danger.

Who are taken captive by him at his will.--These words have been variously interpreted by commentators. The meaning that, on the whole, seems most satisfactory, represents the captive to sin waking up from his deathly slumber and escaping the toils of the evil one, for the purpose of carrying out for the future the will of God. The rendering of the whole verse would be as follows: "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil--being held captive by him--to do His (God's) will."

It must be remembered that the first pronoun in this sentence, "being held captive by him," referred here to the devil, and the second pronoun in the sentence, "to do His will," referred here to God, are represented in the Greek by two distinct words: the first by ???????, the second by ????????.

Verse 26. - They for that they, A.V.; having been taken captive by the Lord's servant unto the will of God for who are taken captive by him at his will, A.V. Having been taken captive, etc. This is undoubtedly a difficult passage. We will first take the individual words, and then turn to the general meaning. Recover themselves (ἀνανήψωσιν); only found here in the New Testament, and never in the LXX. In classical Greek, where it is, however, uncommon, it means literally "to recover from drunkenness," hence, "to come to one's self," "to come to a right mind" (see Steph., 'Thes.'). Snare (παγίς); as 1 Timothy 3:7; 1 Timothy 6:9. Compare the use of παγιδεύω (Matthew 22:15). Having been taken captive (ἐζωγρήμενοι); only found in the New Testament in Luke 5:10 besides this place, but common in the LXX. and in classical Greek, in the sense of "to take alive," of prisoners of war, who, if not ransomed, always became slaves of the conqueror. Here, therefore, the meaning is "having been captured and enslaved." By him (margin), (ὑπ αὐτοῦ); i.e. of course the devil, who had just been named as having ensnared them. Unto the will of him (margin), (ἐκείνου θέλημα). The difficulty of the passage lies in the word ἐκείνου, which at first sight seems to indicate a different antecedent from the antecedent of αὐτοῦ. This grammatical difficulty has led to the strange rendering of the R.V., and to the wholly unjustifiable intrusion into the text of the words, "the Lord's servant" and of "God," producing altogether a sentence of unparalleled awkwardness and grotesqueness, and utter improbability. But there is no real difficulty in referring ἐκείνου to the same person as αὐτοῦ (meaning in both cases the devil), as in the passage from Plato's 'Cratylus,' cited by Huther, after De Wette, the cause of the use of ἐκείνου being that St. Paul was at the moment emphasizing the fact of these captives being deprived of their own will, and made subservient to the will of another. The passage may be paraphrased: "If peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, so as to recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, after they had been led captive by him, so as to be no longer their own masters, but obliged to do his will." The implied contrast is οὐ τὸ ἑαυτῶν ἀλλ ἐκείνου θέλημα, just as in the passage from the 'Cratylus,' p. 430 (vol. 4. p. 306, Bekker's edit.), ἐκείνου is contrasted with γυναικός. The full passage is Δεῖξαι αὐτῷ α}ν μὲν τύχῃ ἐκείνου εἰκόνα α}ν δὲ τύχῃ γυναικός. Another example of the transition from αὐτός to ἐκεῖνος is in John 1:7, 8, Οῦτος η΅λθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσι δι αὐτοῦ οὐκ η΅ν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, κ.τ.λ., where there is a contrast between John as the witness and Christ as the true Light (compare, too, John 4:25, where ἐκείνος has the force of "not you, but he"). For the general turn of phrase, comp. 2 Corinthians 10:5, "Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ," where αἰχμαλωτίζοντες (see 2 Timothy 3:6) corresponds to ἐζωγρημένοι and εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Ξριστοῦ to εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα. It should be noted further that the sentence is certainly rather a peculiar one, from the use of such uncommon words as ἀνανήφω and ζωγρέω, and the mixture of metaphors. But the sense of the A.V. is fully borne out. The interpretation preferred by Bishop Ellicott is "they may recover themselves from the snare of the devil unto his will (viz. God's), having (previously) been led captive by him (viz. the devil)."



Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Then
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

they will come to their senses
ἀνανήψωσιν (ananēpsōsin)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 366: To become sober again, recover sound sense. From ana and nepho; to become sober again, i.e. regain senses.

[and escape]
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

snare
παγίδος (pagidos)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3803: From pegnumi; a trap; figuratively, a trick or statagem.

of the
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

devil,
διαβόλου (diabolou)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 1228: From diaballo; a traducer; specially, Satan.

[who]
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

has taken them captive
ἐζωγρημένοι (ezōgrēmenoi)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2221: To capture alive, capture for life, enthrall. From the same as zoon and agreuo; to take alive, i.e. to capture or ensnare.

to
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

his
ἐκείνου (ekeinou)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 1565: That, that one there, yonder. From ekei; that one (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed.

will.
θέλημα (thelēma)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2307: An act of will, will; plur: wishes, desires. From the prolonged form of ethelo; a determination, i.e. choice or inclination.


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NT Letters: 2 Timothy 2:26 And they may recover themselves out (2 Tim. 2Ti iiTi ii Tim)
2 Timothy 2:25
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